php[architect] — May 2014

Towards a Better Semantic and Accessible Web

May 15, 2014 is the third annual Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). The goal is to help raise awareness for some of the original goals for the web that most people, devs included, are unaware of and how they relate to accessibility, changing the world, and discrimination. So grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and prepare for this article to take you to some fascinating places you have likely never explored. –by Joe Devon

There’s Always a First Time: Contributing to Open Source

Contributing to Open Source projects is amazing, but as with many things in life, the first time can be scary. This is the true story of my first pull request – an unplanned contribution to one of today’s biggest PHP frameworks. –by Erika Heidi

Redefining API Clients with Guzzle

The web can be a messy place, especially when it comes to consuming web services. Dealing with multiple client libraries and ever-changing endpoint specifications can drive one to the brink of madness. Guzzle brings something of a cure for these ills, abstracting away the messy bits of HTTP/1.1 so we can get down to the business of consuming data from every corner of the ‘verse! –by Michael Crumm

The Power of Push: Using PHP with HTML5 Server Sent Events

Data push is all about getting the latest information out to your users. Here we will take a look at a new technology that makes it very easy, and the great news for us is that it is a perfect fit for PHP and can slip into your existing infrastructure with barely a ripple. –by Darren Cook

The Confident Coder: filter_var to the Rescue!

I like to think that I’m somewhat of a PHP purist. When I travel to user groups, one of my favorite talks to give is named “Tell Aaron What to Do”. Basically, the goal is to solve two problems that I have posed using plain HTML and PHP. Oh, and do it with core PHP – no frameworks, no libraries, just plain vanilla PHP. At the end, I’ll run a number of integration and security tests against the code the group has written to see if we were successful. –by Aaron Saray

Welcome back to Education Station for May 2014. If you were here for the last installment, you’ll know we had a good introduction to one of the fastest, most high-performing PHP frameworks around – Phalcon. In it, we covered getting our environment ready for developing with Phalcon (as it’s a C extension), bootstrapping, controllers, models, views, view partials and helpers. In this, the second and final part of the Phalcon series, we’ll be going further, looking at template caching, custom routing and forms. –by Matt Setter

Laravel Tips: URL Hashing via Helpers

In this article, we will take a look at a way of preventing users from tampering with URLs. While the proposed solution may add another tool to your security arsenal, it is also an excuse to explore helper functions, libraries, configuration files, and the request life-cycle in Laravel. –by Dirk Merkel

finally{}: On Discriminatory Technology Statements

I realize that lately my column has become a series of rants. Maybe someday, I’ll write about something else, but at the moment, new rant-worthy topics keep presenting themselves to me as soon as it’s time for me to write a column. –by Eli White

Editorial: Open Eyes

There are so many ways out there for us to make a difference in the lives of others. As technology pervades every aspect of life, our power as developers grows. We must use this power for good! Yeah, alright, I do a “good” job on projects. I make “good” decisions when it comes to security. I am “good” when I talk to non-technical users. That’s enough, right? Not even close. To truly be using your power for good, you must open your eyes to everyone around you, not just the loudest complainers or the most dangerous threats. You must be willing to put your words into action and work within the system that helps you stay employed (and fed). –by Beth Tucker Long

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